Somewhere out There
by RoseRed95
Summary: Belle finally has lost all hope of escaping the asylum she was put in. When Belle has finally reached her breaking point, a strange man helps her escape. She soons remebers her true self and her true love. However, those years of being tortured and mistreated still haunt her. Can Rumplestiltskin help her through these rough times? Is true love strong enough?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! So, I always really liked the show Once Upon a Time. But once I was introduced to Rumbelle, I was hooked on it. I love them so much :) This idea popped into my head when I was rewatching Skin Deep. I hope you all like this and thank you to everyone who reads this! Oh and this chapter takes place early on in her stay in the asylum.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Chapter 1

Cold. That's the one thing I felt in my small prison. That's what it truly was. No matter what that woman said, it was a prison.  
"You're here because you deserve to be here." I would hear her voice say behind that white door. I would sometimes look up from my small excuse for a bed to meet her dark cold eyes."You're in an asylum because you're insane. No one wants you out in the world. How sad."

She's wrong, I would think to myself. I'm not insane. I know that. I still have my wits about me and I still can rationalize things. Wouldn't I know if I was insane? And there has to be someone out there who wants me. I have to have some family. I looked around my white padded prison. Someone has to be worrying about me. Maybe this woman kidnapped me. I have no recollection of my childhood. None at all. All I remember is this room. That always disturbed me. Have I truly been here all my life? Has this evil woman brainwashed me into forgetting about my life before this place? I had a mother and father at one point. I doubt they would just leave me here.

These thoughts were usually interrupted by my "doctor" coming in. He used to frighten me at first. He was huge in weight and height and had long black hair. He would come in with some pills he would force down my throat one day and the next day he would have to physically restrain me when he had to give me drugs by needles. I suppose I've just grown accustomed to this routine because now, he's just a nuisance. I'd much rather be alone than deal with him. He's always just barging in here without warning. As if he could read my mind, he came in the room with a tray in his hands.

"Time for you're meds gorgeous." he said and picked up a needle from the tray. He gave me a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he knelt in front of me. "Now, are you going to be a good girl and let me do it?" he asked. I looked him in the eyes before I spat in his face. He let out a growl and slapped me hard and I fell over. I scrambled on the floor trying to get up. Before I could even muster any strength, he was on top of me. He pinned my legs down with his own and with one hand locked both of mine above my head. I thrashed and screamed but it was no use. He plunged the needle into my arm and I felt the effects immediately. He got off of me with a chuckle. "Enjoy your nap princess." he hissed and left the room.

I felt my eye lids start to droop down and all of my muscles start to relax. I looked up at the ceiling before I fell into this familiar sleep. Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? Locked up like an animal and treated like I wasn't even a person. Why did this woman hate me so much? My eyes grew heavier and I let out a groan. Someone has to be out there waiting for me. Somewhere out there.

There had to be...

I awoke later, not entirely sure how much later for the lack of clocks, with a painful feeling stomach. I slowly stood up. My legs buckled and I had to lean on the wall for support. The drugs they gave me always had horrible side effects. I would find it hard for hours and they gave me horrible stomach cramps. I sighed and tried to stand up in my own. I gasped as I hit the floor.

"Come on Belle. Pull yourself together." I said to myself. I puffed and stood back up this time with from the wall. I small smile creeped on my face. At least I wasn't so hopeless.

"Dinner time." I heard my doctor say from behind through door. He opened up the slot in the door and threw a small tray in my room. I looked down at it and wrinkled my nose. I mysterious brown goop was on the tray. I assume he saw my expression because I heard him laugh.

"What's the matter princess? Not good enough for you?" he asked sarcastically.

"No." I said and crossed my arms. "Its not."

"Well Belle," he said and I could practically hear the venom drip voice. "You can just skip dinner and go straight to the shower."

I felt my face go pale and cold. I quickly picked up the pathetic excuse for food and start to eat it. I heard him laugh again."That's what I thought." he said smugly. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes to take you to through shower room. See you soon gorgeous." And with that I head him walk away. I quickly put down the food and went quickly to the corner of my room. I sat down and covered my face. I hated showers. I only got them once a week but I hated them more than the drug I got everyday. He told me he had gotten specific orders to watch me while I bathed. To make sure I didn't try to hurt myself. I hated the feeling if his eyes wandering over my naked skin. Oh God I hated it. I begged time to stop so I would not have to go into that small room and strip and bathe in front of that pig. Sadly, none of my begging did any good. What felt like seconds later, the doctor came in and was caring a bat. "Is Belle going to be a good girl and follow me? Are am I going to have to force you again?" he asked and pointed the bat at me. I stared for a moment and then slowly stood up. He lowered the bat with a smirk. "That's what I thought." He made me leave the room first and I slowly made my way down the dark hall to the shower room. When I stopped in front of the door, I merely just stared at it begging it to disappear.

With an impatient grunt, the doctor swung the door open and pushed me in. He turned around and locked the door. I felt my heart stop as i looked up at the shower faucet. "Come on Belle. I haven't got all day." he complained and lightly tapped the back on my back. "Do you want me to take that off?" he said. I stiffened and shook my head. I slowly undid the lone button back of my thin gown and closed my eyes as I felt it leave my body. "That's a good girl. Now, turn on the water." With my eyes still closed and reached for the faucet and I felt the cold water pour over me. The whole time I tried to ignore the feeling of his eyes on me. However, ignoring his presence was a hard thing to do. He would constantly comment on my body with vulgar language. I can't even repeat the things he said.

"Okay princess," I heard him say quietly. "You're three minutes are up." My eyes sprang open. and I turned off the water. I ignored his whistle when I bent down to pick up my thin gown and threw it over me, basking in the way it covered all of my body from his eyes. I turned around and faced him with s cold glare. He winked at me and turned around to unlock the door. I quickly hurried out the room and back into my prison without looking back at him. Once I entered my room, I fled to my corner and covered my face again.

"Did Belle enjoy her shower?" I heard her muffled voice say outside my door.

"Not as much as I did." the doctor laughed.

"Good. I want her to suffer. You understand? No mercy on her." she said and I realized she must have thought I couldn't hear her.

This is my proof, I thought to myself. This isn't an asylum. Not a real one. No. An asylum takes care of the mentally unstable. I'm purposely being tortured by this evil woman. She must have kidnapped me and forced me here. No family would put a person in a place like this. I looked around my prison. Yes. This truly was a prison. I was meant to go insane and die here. Well, this woman, whoever she is, doesn't know who she's dealing with. I won't crack. I'll keep whatever is left of my sanity and show her that I am strong. I'll get out of here one day. And that day will be soon.


	2. Chapter 2

This author's note may contain spoilers for the show in case you didn't watch the last few episodes. You were warned :p BUT oh my gods how could they do this to Belle?! I had a feeling that she was going to lose her memory but I really was hoping that she wasn't...I guess I'll incorporate the memory lost sometime later into this story...hopefully she'll get her memory back soon cause I can't stand to see my favorite couple on this show to be torn apart..and when she smashed the chipped cup...:'(...anyway!Thank you to all who read and reviewed! It means so much to me :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time

Chapter 2

I barely slept that night. I stayed up and planned on what to say to that woman. I wanted her to know that I knew her plan and that it wouldn't work. She might as well let me out of here. I stood up from my corner when I heard the door unlock. I sighed when I saw it was only the doctor. He gave me a smile.

"Hey princess." he said and I leaned against the wall. He shoved a tray full of the same brown goop in front of my face. "Eat up."

"I want to talk to her." I told him.

He tilted his head. "Why do you want to do that?"

"I know she kidnapped me. I don't belong here." I said. He put the tray on the ground and leaned in close to my face.

"Are you so sure about that?" he said and reached out to touch my face. I quickly slapped it away. He laughed. "You're still feisty."

"Let me talk to her." I said again, ignoring his comment. "I have a right to."

His smile dropped from his face. "You have no rights here. No one does. That woman, she's the queen here. It's whatever she says goes." I glared at him. "Besides, how do you know you don't belong here?"

"I'm not crazy." I said simply. "And that woman is too cruel to actually run an insane asylum." He laughed. "And I doubt they would hire a pervert like you to take care of the patients. If anything, I think you and her belong in here."

"You know, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day." he warned at kicked the tray closer to me. "I'll tell her that you wanted to see her." And with that, he left the small room. I looked down at the tray and walked over it. I went to the door and I placed my hand on the handle. I sighed. I hoped one day that my doctor will just forget to lock it. He has to slip up eventually.

"And then I'm free." I whispered to myself. I slowly let my hand fall and slumped against the door. How long have I been trapped? It feels like years...I wonder how the outside world is doing. It's sad...I don't even remember anything. What it looks like or any of the people. Did I even have anyone looking for me? I'm not sure how old I am but I think I'm pretty young. I felt my face and looked at my hands. I have no wrinkles and my hair doesn't have any gray in it. This means my parents can't be too old either. My parents should still be alive. I thought crept into my mind. What if this woman did something to them? What if she hurt them, locked them up like me, or worse...I blinked a few times and forced that sickening thought out of my mind. No. My parents are fine. They're probably still looking for me. They must be worried sick...

I sighed and sat down next to the door. Do I have anyone else in my life? I bit my lip and closed my eyes. No matter how much I concentrated I couldn't remember. Did I have any siblings? Any friends? Any romance? I sighed and opened my eyes. "Why can't I remember?" I asked myself. I looked up at the door. It has to be her. She brainwashed me or something. Well, she won't take everything from me. As long as I remember who I am, I'll be fine.

"I'm Belle." I told myself. "I won't ever forget that." I'll be fine...The lack of sleep must have caught up to me because in a matter of minutes, I was asleep.

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_I was in a room. It was too dark to see anything. "How did I get here?" I asked myself as I squinted my eyes, straining to see what was in the darkness. I felt my stomach churn. How did I get here? Was I moved here while I was sleeping? "Hello?" I called out uncertainly. I heard a slight sound in front of me. I walked forward. "Is anyone else here? Hello?"_

_The room got a bit more bright and I got a look at who else was in the room. It was blurry but I could tell it was a man sitting behind a desk. I rubbed my eyes but to no avail. I couldn't see his features at all. "Excuse me?" He didn't even move in the slightest. "You can't hear me..." I said more to myself. I walked closer and the image in front of me still was a blur. He stood up suddenly and I could tell he had a limp with the way he was wobbling and using a cane. I tilted my head. Nothing about this man was familiar at all. I bit my lip and started to reach out. Before I could even touch him, the room became pitch black again and I felt myself falling._

I jumped up from my dream with a gasp. I stood up from the spot I fell asleep on. "What was with that dream?" I whispered. "Who was that guy?"

An idea crept its way into my mind. Maybe...maybe I know this man. Maybe that was a memeory...or something. I felt myself smile. That has to be it! I never had dreams like this before. It has to mean something! I heard the door unlock behind me and I spun around to see the woman.

"I heard you wanted to see me." she said with an evil smile.

"Yes." I said and walked closer to her. "I know your plan."  
"My plan?" she asked.

"Don't play dumb." I said. "I heard you talking to that "doctor" out there." I pointed to my door. "You want to break me. You want me to go insane."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." she said and I glared at her. "You're here because you are insane and need to be locked up. Listen to you. You're making up all these plans in your mind."

"Why is no one visiting me than?" I asked, my voice getting louder. "I know I have family!"

"You have no one." she said. "You are no one."

"I'm Belle!" I yelled and she chuckled.

"Whatever you want to believe. I still have no idea why you chose that name. I told the doctor to just agree with you and to call you that to make you happy." she said and started to head towards the door.

"There's a man waiting for me." I said and she stopped walking. "He...he uses a cane and has a limp. I know he's real. And he has something to do with me." She turned around slowly. Her smile was gone. "I dreamed about him. I have people who care out there."

"My...you're disolusions are getting worse." she said slowly. "We must do something about that...maybe an increase of your meds." I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to scare me. To make me back down. It wasn't going to work.

"These are not delusions." I said strongly. "I know he's someone who was important in my life. I can feel it." She looked at me and I stared back daring her to deny this.

"Maybe an increase in meds isn't something you need." she said and I felt a triumphant smile spread across my face. I won! She knows she can't trick me. "Oh doctor!" she called and soon the huge man walked into my room. "The patient here is in need of some help." He looked at me and a smirk grew across his face. "Maybe some electric shock therapy will help." My smile faded as I looked at her with horror.

"Electric shock?" I whispered. That didn't sound good..."No...I don't need that."

She looked at me and her evil smile appeared again. "I think that's just the thing you need. It'll get those pesky delusions out of your head once and for all." I started to back up farther into my room. "Grab her." She told the doctor and he lunged forward and picked me up. No matter how hard I hit him or how loud I shrieked he wouldn't put me down. He dragged me into a new room, a room I never saw before. He strapped me down to a cold chair and placed something on my head.

"Patient, are you ready?" she said to me while standing next to a strange machine.

"My name is Belle!" I screamed. She flipped a switch and everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! I am so sorry this took so long to update. Senior year has just been so hectic! But I hope you enjoy this chapter! They'll be plenty more to come! Thank you for everyone who took time out of their day to read, review, follow and favorite. You have no idea how much it means to me :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time

Chapter 3

"I'm cold..." I whispered to the doctor.

"And what should I do about that?" he asked as he handed me the pills. I held them in my hand.

"It's always cold in here." I said.

"That's not my problem." he said harshly. "Just take the pills."

"Why do I need them again?" I asked quietly and he rolled his eyes.

"I told you why yesterday." he said and I frowned.

"I don't remember." I said and he sighed in aggravation.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" He asked and I shook my head. "I guess we put you through too much shock therapy." I flinched. "Oh! So you remember that!"

I looked down at the pills. "I just want to know why I'm here..."

"You're insane." He said. "You were always talking about magic and how it existed."

"I did?" I asked.

"Yup. Your family couldn't take it anymore so they dropped you off here. I don't blame them. You are a complete lune."

"Oh..." was all I said. Magic? Me believing in magic got me here? "So...my family put me in here?"

"Yup. No one wanted you." he said and I sighed.

"What's my name?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said. "And I don't care." I was about to beg him to tell me when he grabbed my wrist. "Now take these pills." I slowly did and I felt myself become tired. He left the room and I was left to feel nothing but my hatred towards him. Luckily I wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. That was the last day he came to see me. I don't know why. I knew it was wrong but deep down I hoped something horrible happened to him.

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Pills. Sleep. Nightmares. Pills. Sleep. Nightmares. That was my daily routine. I hated the pills because they always knocked me out. I hated to sleep because that always brought along nightmares. Nightmares of the doctor, that woman, and the electric shock therapy. I couldn't take it anymore. I tried starving myself, but when the doctor noticed I wasn't eating, he practically forced food down my throat. Why wouldn't they let me die? I wasn't important. I was just insane, unwanted. So why keep me alive? A nameless freak. As the days passed, I found myself falling into a deeper state of depression. My life was a living hell that would never change. Or so I thought.

I was sitting in my room like usual when a man came in. He was young and handsome but a complete stranger.

"Who..." I started to ask but he hushed me.

"We don't have time for that." he said. "You're free. Now all you have to do is find Mr. Gold. He'll help you. Tell him Regina locked you up." I wasn't sure what to say so I just stared at him. I guess he got impatient. "Well? Hurry up! I'll show you how to get to his shop." He left the room. I looked around before quickly following him. We were halfway down the hallway when I saw my doctor. Except something was different. He looked...sad. I can't recall a time when he looked anything but angry. I slowed down my pace and stared at him. He was wearing the same type a clothes I was wearing and was sweeping the floor. "Doctor?" He looked up at me.

"No...I'm not your doctor." he said in a soft and gentle voice. I tilted my head. This sounds nothing like him..."He's gone. Hopefully for good."

"Oh." was all I could say before the strange man who rescued me pulled on my arm and forced me up the stairs.

"When you leave this hospital, go straight and Mr. Gold's shop will be the first one on the right." he told me as we rushed pass doctors and nurses. "Got that?"

"Yeah..." I said as we both quickly walked out the front doors. I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked at my surroundings and my breathing became shallow. This was the first time I was outside. I breathed in the fresh air and I felt my eyes begin to water. I wanted to just stand there and look at everything: all the small shops, the flowers that were sprouting out from the ground and the few people who were out walking around. It was just all so beautiful.

"First shop on the right." he told me and broke me out of my haze. "Don't forget to tell him what Regina did to you." I looked at him and thanked him. He nodded at me and left me alone. I started to slowly make my way down the road. I had to stop every once in a while just to take in my surroundings. The world was so beautiful, so full of life. I was so used to the dull grays and whites of my world that these new colors were practically blinding.

I finally made my way into Mr. Gold's shop. It was a funny little store. It had the strangest things in there. A man was behind the front desk with his back turned to me. "Um...excuse me, are you Mr. Gold?'

"Yes I am but I'm afraid the shop is closed." he said coldly and turned around. He suddenly stopped moving and just stared at me. I took this as an opportunity to talk to him.

"I was told to find you and tell you that Regina locked me up." I said and he started to walk towards me. He had a limp and was walking with a cane. "Does that mean anything to you?" He slowly lifted his hand out and touched my shoulder. I didn't mind it too much. He was a lot more gentle than my doctor was.

"You're real." he whispered. "You're alive." I tilted my head. Why was he acting like this? "She did this to you?"

"I was told that you would protect me." I said and his face crumpled. He leaned in and embraced me. I didn't return the gesture. I just stood there. Why is he acting so familiar with me?

"Yes. Yes I'll protect you." he said with his voice full of emotion. He pulled back and stared intently at me.

"Im sorry..." I said. "Do I...do I know you?" It seemed that this might have hit a sore spot because it looked like he was about to cry.

"No." he finally said. "But you will." He took in a deep breath and composed himself. "Now, you have to come with me. I have some business I need to finish."

I nodded and slowly trailed after him. Who exactly was this man? I never met him in my life. So why is he acting like we were so close? Is he really going to protect me? I wanted to ask him all of this, but I could tell his mind was else where. He would occasionally look back at me. I guess he was just making sure I didn't get lost. He led me into the nearby woods. Why would we need to be here? I didn't mind it really, it was such a beautiful sight to see, but I just wanted to know what exactly was going on.

Before I could voice any of my questions, something hit me. Not physically, but mentally. It was such a sharp blow that I almost tumbled forward. I blinked a few times, trying to regain my composure when it came back to me. It all came back to me. I wasn't crazy. I was a princess. A princess name Belle. That's my name! I wasn't a nameless nobody. I had a father who loved me and I was in love with...Rumplestiltskin. I looked ahead of me. I felt my heartbeat quicken. "Wait!" I called.

"No. No, we're very close." he said.

"Rumplestiltskin...wait." I said. He turned around slowly and I walked up to him. "I remember. I love you." I said and I felt tears sting my eyes. He hugged me and I quickly hugged him back.

"Yes...and I love you too." he said and nuzzled his face into my hair. He gently pushed back. "But wait. They'll be time for that. They'll be time for everything but first...there is something I must do."


End file.
